To run or not to run? There is much consternation about whether Pierre Poilievre should hold onto his leadership of the Conservative party. It would be regressive for the party, especially when one considers the bullying and divisiveness he has created in the Commons.
Poilievreis unable to admit defeat or accept the outcome of his leadership and doesn’t deserve to continue. The Liberals have a new leader who brings experience, professionalism and calmness and it is unthinkable to reinstate someone who will sully this. Poilievre seems incapable of changing his penchant for insults and mean-spiritedness. Carney should have time to work with all parties to present a united front in negotiating with Trump and other allies.
Joan Larkin, Stouffville, Ont.
Canadians simply did not want an angry prime minister
Conservatives like Andrew Scheer are fooling themselves when they think Pierre Poilievre did not single-handedly lose the election for the Conservative party.
The best the Conservatives could do when Mark Carney came on the scene was to give Poilievre smiling lessons and buy him a T-shirt and contact lenses, much like putting lipstick on a pig. But given a choice between the two candidates, it is clear Canadians simply did not want Mr. Angry to be their next prime minister.
David Ottenbrite, Cambridge
Work to benefit Canada or get out of politics
The incendiary divisiveness and derision spewed by Pierre Poilievre was his undoing. If he really cares about this country he should do everything he can to work with Prime Minister Mark Carney, not work against him.
Politicians should be working to benefit Canada. This is what they are paid for. At this time of multiple crises if agitators cannot see the damage they cause then they should not be in government.
We desperately need a cohesive collaborative collegial Parliament working together for the country. Poilievre and anyone else in government must leave if their motives are not collegial .
The government needs genuine authentic experts to work together to be successful, and the political parties should not be working against each other .
Sheldon Shepherd, Toronto
Why parliament lacks a strong voice from the West
In my Calgary Heritage riding, Liberal candidate Scott Arnott had a stellar resume and a career in the oilpatch. He would have been a potential federal cabinet minister speaking for Calgarians and Albertans in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet.
Instead, two out of three in Calgary Heritage voted for Shuv Majumdar, who mailed out an election pamphlet that contained not one word regarding his background. Majumdar will now sit on the Conservative backbenches without any influence or voice whatsoever on federal policies.
Yet many Albertans will continue to complain about the lack of voice from the west. Doh!
Mike Priaro, Calgary, Alta.
Jagmeet Singh was a fantastic political leader
Jagmeet Singh might be remembered as a better NDP leader than even Jack Layton — despite brutal loss, April 30
I would like to thank Jagmeet Singh for being a fantastic political leader and a decent human being. He did absolutely nothing of which to be ashamed!
Our ‘first-past-the-post’ election process punishes great politicians like Singh as electors felt compelled to vote strategically.
All the best, Jagmeet.
Mhairi Godley, Etobicoke
Blue Jays playing like a minor-league team
In my opinion, our Blue Jays players must go down to play minor leagues.
So far, they have not made more than three runs in a game and it almost seems like they’re playing for opposite team.
Karur Badrinarayan, Markham
We have an impartial judicial system to protect us from the likes of Ford
Once again Doug Ford’s buffoonery shines bright on the political stage.
His rant about how judges being elected will serve his own wishes is exactly the reason why we have an impartial judicial system, which is to protect us from the personal whims of politicians. Maybe he looks to the tinpot despots who actually rule their countries that way as his role model.
The premier further stated he would pay judges to retire early so he can install his own judges, a statement that is tantamount to bribing a public official, surely something that the province’s integrity commissioner might want to investigate.
Ford has already abused the judicial system by invoking the ‘Notwithstanding Clause’ for a non-essential purpose and has openly said he would do it again, in the interests of Ontarians.
What he meant was his own interests.
Finally, he talks about wearing Canada on his sleeve as a badge of patriotism, but this is only a façade to hide his real-world ignorance of what makes our legal system unique, and reflective of Canadian mores and values.
Adrian Heaps, Toronto
Forget bike lanes, fix our health and education systems
Premier Ford wonders why the judges “don’t listen to the people.” Is he not aware “the people” elected a mayor and city council to look after municipal affairs such as the design and use of city streets?
Do we need to remind him that he is not the mayor of pc28and we would really like him to stay in his own lane and look after the things we elected him to do such as fix our health and education systems?
Gabriela Byron, Toronto
Ford’s petty fixation on bike lane
It is comic how willing, even eager, Premier Doug Ford is to trade his ambition to look like a statesman for his petty fixation on bike lanes.Ford has now added to the growing list of his Trumpian attributes, a disrespect for judges and the rule of law.The list already includes scapegoating the vulnerable, championing the interests of the rich, ignoring science, and creating anxiety and turmoil as a negotiating ploy. In fact,
For all of Ford’s crowing about having an electoral mandate to remove bike lanes, he would do well to remember that his Conservative incumbent in Etobicoke-Lakeshore, MPP Christine Hogarth, who trumpeted the removal of bike lanes on Bloor in her re-election campaign, was soundly defeated.
Albert Koehl, Toronto
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